White Bread, Rice, and Other Carbs Boost Heart Disease in Women

Women who eat more white bread, white rice, pizza and other carbohydrate rich foods that cause blood sugar to spike are more than TWICE AS LIKELY TO DEVELOP HEART DISEASE than women who eat less of these foods a new study suggests.
Men who eat lots of these carbohydrates-which have what's known as a high glycemic index-do not have the same increased risk, however, perhaps because their bodies process the carbs differently, the researchers found.
Only carbohydrates with a high glycemic index appear to hurt the heart. Carbs with a low glycemic index-such as fruit and pasta-were not associated with an increased risk of heart disease, which suggest that the increased risk is caused "not by a diet high in carbohydrates, but by a diet rich in rapidly absorbed carbodydrates," says the lead author of the study, Sabina Sieri,of the Fondiazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tunori, a national institute for cancer.
The glycemic index ranks on a scale from 1 to 100 how quickly (or slowly) carbohydrates affect your blood sugar levels. (White bread scores 100) Foods that rank below 55 are considered to have a low glycemic index and produce only small fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels: foods that rank above 70 are said to have a high glycemic index and tend to cause unhealthy spikes in blood sugar.
There are many benefits to limiting foods with a high glycemic index, Price adds. People who do so "will find their appetite easier to control, making weight control easier in turn", she says. "They will help to keep energy and mood steady over the day, and they reduce their risk of several chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cetain cancers."
According to Price, the best low glycemic index foods are whole grain breads, barley, quinoa, beans and chickpeas, low fat dairy products, fruit and sweet potatoes.